What Is the Charter Oak?

Though never fully proven as fact, the "Charter
Oak incident" remains one of
the most exciting stories in Hartford and Connecticut history.

Thanks to
the diplomacy of Gov. John Winthrop Jr., the General Court of Connecticut
won a charter from King Charles II on Oct. 9, 1662. Among other things,
the document legitimized
all existing settlements in Connecticut,
set the boundaries of the colony, and—most importantly—perpetuated
the rights laid out in the Fundamental Orders, allowing
the colonists a high degree of self-government. (Here's the text of the charter.)

But by the time James II assumed the throne 25 years later, England wanted
greater integration of the New England colonies—and more centralized
control. Sir Edmund Andros, assigned by the king to rule New York and
all of the New England colonies in a single "Dominion of New England,"
demanded return of Connecticut's charter. After trying various strategies
for accomplishing this, he finally marched to Hartford with an armed force
to seize it. The following is legend:

On October 27, 1687, Andros' party met with Gov. Robert Treat and other
colonists at the public meeting house. Andros again demanded surrender
of the charter; Treat responded with a long speech in defense of the colony.
The debate went on for hours. Eventually, candles had to be lit—darkness
fell early at that time of year. With the Charter on the table between
the opposing parties, the room suddenly went dark. Moments later, when
the candles were re-lighted, the charter was gone. Captain Joseph Wadsworth
is credited with swiping the document and hiding it nearby, in the trunk
of a giant white oak before the home of Samuel Wyllys, one of the magistrates
of the colony.

"This
secreting of the charter in the great Charter Oak tree soon grew into
one of Connecticut's cherished traditions," historian Albert V. Van
Dusen wrote. "Whether or not the charter ever was actually put there,
even for a few hours, is a matter of conjecture. It does seem fairly certain,
though, that the charter actually was spirited away under cover of darkness."
He noted that 28 years later, in 1715, the colony paid Wadsworth 20 shillings
for "securing the Duplicate Charter of this Colony in a very troublesome
season."

Despite all the drama of that night, the colony effectively surrendered
to Andros, who named Treat and John Allyn to his council and made various
other Dominion appointments before leaving. Van Dusen observed, though,
that Andros "undoubtedly felt vexed at his failure to obtain the
charter." Moreover, the colonists had only recorded that he was
taking control; they never made a positive vote of submission.

Andros' reign did not last long anyway. The spring of 1689 brought news
of the Glorious Revolution in England. James II had fled to France; in
Boston, Andros was arrested. Connecticut colonists convinced James' successors,
William and Mary, to confirm the 1662 charter.

The tree
itself lasted another century and a half as a cherished landmark. According
to historian Ellsworth Grant, its base eventually reached a circumference
of 33 feet. When a windstorm finally toppled it in 1856, the marching
band belonging to gun maker Samuel Colt played funeral dirges on the site.
In 1907, the Connecticut Society of Colonial Wars erected a monument at
the corner of Charter Oak Avenue and Charter Oak Place, near the spot
where the tree stood. The monument remains.

In tribute
to the Charter Oak legend, Connecticut designated the white oak as the
state tree.